Is It TOO LATE to Effect Change in Our Discipleship for 2026?
The simple answer is No!
Just as we guide our disciples on their own discipleship journeys, you can always take a Next Step, even as a church organization. But, we churches do tend to operate in seasonal rhythms like Advent and Lent.
I am writing this article just before Labor Day, thus we are in the beginning stages of the third important season of the Church, Back to School. As we exit the diversions of Summer Break, it is time to recommit to our “regularly scheduled programming.” Sunday School class promotions, new study classes forming, and in some cases the resumption of the weekly community meal all take place in mid-August to early-September. So, at the time of this writing, plans have been made and bulletin announcements have been printed (so to speak).
But, if we can always take next steps in our mission to make more disciples, what can we be doing now to map a healthier discipleship garden for the next semester after the New Year? Let’s take a look at a simple strategy for three next steps to re-ignite your discipleship ministries.
Identify Gardener and Teacher Leaders - Cast a Vision, then Equip
The most critical mistake churches make during a small group campaign is issuing a congregation-wide invitation before building the relational infrastructure to receive people. Public enthusiasm without leadership capacity leads to friction, high drop-off rates, and frustrated attendees.
Identify leaders that can act as both a Host Gardener and Teacher for a short-term small group opportunity with the goal that the participants might continue as a permanent group. Reach out directly to mature disciples, trusted volunteers, and natural connectors. Frame the “ask” not as an endless, open-ended commitment, but as a focused 4-week hosting opportunity: "Would you be willing to open your home or lead a table for just four weeks during our upcoming series?"
Don’t be thwarted if you find skilled Host Gardeners that don’t want to teach or skilled Teachers that don’t have the relational skills to navigate transformation in the group. Simply pair up the two into a group leadership partnership and divide the responsibilities. I think you will find that the division of labor and emphasis on personal strength will aid in staving off leader burnout and maintain group consistency.
Prior to the public launch in January, gather your existing group leaders and newly recruited hosts for a targeted orientation. Train them on:
Relational Safety: How to move past Level 1 superficiality into active listening.
The 50/50 Rule: Balancing discussion content with unscripted fellowship and prayer.
The Handoff Protocol: How to warmly welcome newcomers assigned to their table or living room. And for new groups, how to make the invitation to continue as an on-going group.
Make Plans to Launch a New Group(s) in the New Year
Schedule the exact date in January to start the new group(s) and announce it to the congregation. Instead of asking people to commit to an intimidating, long-term small group right away, lower the barrier to entry with a clear, time-bound next step, like a 4 week short-term group. By framing the call to action as a short-term, 4-week commitment, you invite hesitant attendees, newcomers, and busy members to test the waters of micro-community without feeling trapped.
Choose a topic that compliments the sermons or series during the 4 week stint. A good example that helps you accomplish multiple objectives is a series and study titled “Love God, Love Your Neighbor - How The Great Commandments Shape Our Discipleship.”
Pro Tip: Ask your existing small groups and Sunday School classes to take on the same study for their weekly discussions at the same time as the new group(s). Synchronization prevents your existing groups from operating as isolated islands. It creates a unified congregational rhythm where every member—whether in a 10-year-old group or a brand-new table cohort—is wrestling with the same truths and practicing the same relational habits at the exact same time
Plan a new year sermon/series to cast the vision for active discipleship
As we discussed above, use your sermon series as the catalyst to cast a re-ignited vision for discipleship in the church. The suggested topic, “Love God, Love Your Neighbor - How The Great Commandments Shape Our Discipleship,” sets the tone that we gather at church to show our love of God through worship but our commandment is to then take God’s love into our neighborhoods and communities. Our relational groups give us the platform, education, and support to love God by loving our neighbors.
The goal of this series is to make the pulpit your cultural megaphone, systematically dismantling the "consumer" mindset and replacing it with an invitation to relational depth through your groups. If you don’t want to use the “Love God, Love Your Neighbor” series/curriculum, no worries. But I encourage you to find content that can align with a curriculum to help you transition your culture out of stale programming into a multiplication-ready ecosystem.
